WE are almost certainly tempting fate in case there are errors in today’s edition, but we could not disagree more with Professor Simon Horobin’s statement that standards for spelling and grammar should be relaxed.

Yes, spellings have changed over time, but it seems almost defeatist to run up a white flag and not strive to ensure our children know how to write correctly.

Just because there are people who find spelling and grammar difficult to master does not mean we abandon our literacy standards.

You wouldn’t let a class of apprentice carpenters who couldn’t hammer in a nail on to a building site. You’d work on their basic skills until they got it right. It may not be a trendy attitude, but literacy is a core skill.

Many will lay the blame at the perception that teachers long ago abandoned drilling spelling and grammar into our children. They will see Prof Horobin’s comments as completing that circle of educational failure.

It is more complex than that, but we believe Prof Horobin and others would be better served debating why literacy levels are so low and then how to correct that, rather than adopting an attitude that betrays our treasured language.